Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has said he is not a member of any political party. He described himself as “a no-party statesman”.
Also, he raised the alarm that Nigerians were facing several challenges at the moment, but preached hope and optimism.
Obasanjo said these today in Abuja during a thanksgiving service at the Methodist Church Nigeria, Cathedral of Unity, Wuse, Zone 3.
The service was for the 80th birthday of journalist and former Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Chief Onyema Ugochukwu.
The former President hailed the celebrant for being a loyal and supportive person during his 1999 election campaigns despite the fact that Chief Alex Ekwueme also contested for the same position in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Obasanjo urged Ugochukwu to remain with the Lord and be committed to humanity throughout the rest of his life
He said: “But remember what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13. Your faith must not diminish. You must never lose hope. Even when things are as gloomy as they are in Nigeria today, we must remain optimistic and hopeful.
“And finally, you must live and continue to live a life of love. Love for your family.
“Love for friends and foes. Love for your community. Love for your state. Love for your country. Love for humanity. And love for God.
“When we came together, it was during the campaign. I’ve known a little bit about you by your reputation. We were two candidates competing in PDP – myself and Alex Ekweme.
“And right from the word go, you decided who you would be with. Some Yoruba elements in our campaign saw you as a spy. The Igbo elements on the other side saw you as a bastard.
“Why should you be with a Yoruba man when an Igbo man is contesting? And you stood your ground. You were unshaken and unshakable.
“You remained totally loyal. And I appreciate it. And you remain with me. Not 99.9% loyal, but 100% loyal. Throughout my tenure. I will be eternally grateful to you.
“When you went in, as the bishop said, to contest the election, and they overturned the election, you didn’t take revenge on anybody. You were not bitter. You didn’t even move out of the party. You remained.
“Some people would have moved out of their party. And you know some who are in our party, close to us, who did that.
My stand – OBJ
“Over the years, whether I am in or out, whether people are abusing me or oppressing me, I know your stand. I know I can count on you. Not only as my supporter, but for the party that we all built together.
“Even though now I’m a no-party statesman. I want to emphasize what the bishop said. At 80, what more do you want? Do you need it? All I will say is that you need to continue to serve humanity and serve God. And there’s no end to that. And the bishop said you should enjoy yourself. I will concur with that. But don’t over-enjoy yourself. Because one can overdo it. Once again, happy birthday, many happy returns. You will celebrate 90. And I will be there. You will celebrate 100. I will not be there. But wherever I am.”
On his part, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar at the reception also commended the Onyema Ugochukwu for his patriotism, saying that the celebrant did not take sides when he (Atiku) had problems with President Olusegun Obasanjo, adding that rather he tried to be a peacemaker.
Atiku said: “Distinguished ladies and gentlemen I will not claim that I know Ogochukwu long enough because we only met during our administration around 1998-99 and till now, we have been in contact with each other.
“But I want to say that during our administration even when the president and I were having problems, Ogochukwu never took sides, rather he tried to be a conciliator and I want to say that all along I found him to be an extremely dedicated, passionate Nigerian.
“Let me also testify that in all those years that we worked together I never heard or you never heard of any unwarranted action by Onyema Ogochukwu. He was still a credible and perfect gentleman. Mrs. Ogochukwu, I think you are very lucky to have him.
“Honestly I want to say that this is one of the very rare events I have put on a public face to identify myself, but I feel extremely delighted to have been part of this event. I also look forward to getting to your age. So, once again congratulations Onyema Ogochukwu and family and the entire people of Abia State and Nigeria in general”.
In his remarks, Chief Onyema Ugochukwu was however emotional while explaining that out of his seven siblings five are dead, remaining him and his sister, thanked God for the feat and good health God has granted him.
According to him, he was the first out of his siblings to attain the age of 70, just as he acknowledged God’s faithfulness in his life, and promised to continue to serve God and humanity more than ever before.
He said, “My dear friends, I thank you for taking out time traveling from all places to come to this birthday celebration. Ten years ago, when I turned 70, I was the first of my siblings to reach the age of 70. It should have been a very big celebration, but it wasn’t.
“Because 2014, I lost my two younger brothers in that year itself. My father, and then my uncle, and there was no urge to celebrate. There were seven. My eldest brother, let him be known, was the best of us all. But he died at 64. My older sister died in her 50s. My immediate junior brother died in the war. My sister, Chinyere, an evangelist, is here with us, and is alive. Ude Chukwu, died February 2014. And in April, another died.
“So, it’s me and my sister left. May their souls rest in peace. Thank you. I don’t know where to start thanking, but let me start from God, because I owe him so much. Thanks. I grew up in a happy family, and all that. But then when the war came, I joined the army. I had bullet wounds, both in my hand and my leg. But God didn’t want to take me away.
“In retrospect, I thought that those bullet wounds were to take me off that front, because I probably would not have been alive if they had remained there subsequently. In 2007, I lost the election which I won, actually. I then went to court. And I was in court for three years.
“But in my own case, my friends stayed with me. So much so, that even those who were fighting us said they would like to join our group. How do we do it? And they have stayed together these many years. They are mostly the people helping to organize this.
“I am grateful to former President Olusegun Obasanjo for the impact he made in my life. When I met him, it was General Liu that introduced us
Earlier inhis sermon, the Bishop of Nyanya Diocese, Rt. Rev. J. O. K Adeyemi who admonished the celebrant to keep serving God and humanity, more than ever before, however urged Ugochkwu to always seek heavenly race and be dedicated to living a good life.
Rev. Adeyemi said: “ Birthday is a period of stocktaking. It is a period when one looks back to evaluate the hands of God in one’s life. It is a period you want to see again and again what God has been to you.
“The celebration of a birthday is a period in which you assess the troubles of life which you have passed through successfully by the grace and mercy of God. It is a period you truly see God’s hand in your life which pulls you out of the pits where many others stand. It is a period of appreciating God in one’s life”.
Two publications in his honour to commemorate the occasion were later launched by dignitaries at the occasion.
One is an anthology of his speeches titled: “Galvanizing Development in the Niger Delta: Selected engagements by Onyema Ugochukwu”.
The other is a volume of tributes titled: “Testaments and testimonials: Celebrating Onyema Ugochukwu at 80”.
Obasanjo wrote the foreword to the compilation of speeches which is co-edited by John Araka, a former Editor of Daily Times, and Tunde Olusunle, a renowned author and protege of Ugochukwu. Olusunle also edited the tributes in the celebrator’s honour.
Vanguard
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